


Clipped Wings

by Capucine



Category: Disney - All Media Types, Disney Princesses, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
Genre: Gen, Prequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-01
Updated: 2014-05-01
Packaged: 2018-01-21 11:46:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1549406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Capucine/pseuds/Capucine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happened before Snow White became a servant in her own castle? How did she get to be that way? One take on it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Clipped Wings

It was when the Queen had a baby that Snow White’s fortunes had turned for the worse. Up until then, the Queen had been uncertain in her reign, unsure if she would be able to hold her father’s favor; but the fat baby boy was a boon to her, an heir, unlike Snow White.

Her father still calling her his darling apple, and would dance with her in a lively way at balls, but the Queen began to be cruel to Snow White.

She was in charge of the king’s finances, and so, somehow, no money would end up being paid to Snow White’s servants; no money would go into her clothing budget. And no money would go towards anything frivolous especially.

It wasn’t that Snow White was a frivolous person; on the contrary, she was all right with only a few things. But she didn’t even have those few things, and her servants had begun to desert her. Her dresses were getting tight as she grew, and she worried that she would have to do her own hair, which was long, down to her hips.

“Black as a raven’s wing,” her father had always crowed over her hair, and now it was getting knotty as the servants began doing a less and less thorough job.

“Father,” Snow White said one day, catching him aside at a banquet.

He took her dainty hands in his meaty ones, smiling with his mustachioed face. “What is it, dove?”

Here was where she had to explain that the Queen was perhaps forgetting her in the budget, for Snow White hadn’t realized the great cruelty of the Queen yet. “Father, I’m afraid I’m not getting any money for clothes, or to pay my people. This is a gown from when I was 12, and I’ve grown considerably since then. I’m afraid the Queen may have forgotten me, Your Majesty.”

His eyes widened, and he said, “Surely not! How could the princess be forgotten?”

“I’ve tried to broach the issue with her before, but she says money is not my matter to be concerned about,” Snow White said softly, still gently gripping her father’s hands. Her small hands were completely enfolded in his.

The king’s face darkened then. He kissed her on the forehead, and said, “I will have a word with her. It isn’t right to treat my only daughter this way.”

“Thank you, father,” Snow White said, and she was sure it was over then.

It was not. In late evening, as she sat combing out her hair in her nightgown, Snow White’s door flew open. In rushed the Queen with her entourage, and she seized Snow White by the face; none of Snow White’s servants dared speak in protest.

“How dare you go above me,” the Queen said, voice a cold marble. “I am the Queen, not some mistress to the king!”

Snow White’s cheeks hurt in her grip, and she could feel her eyes start to smart with tears. “I-I’m sorry, your Highness, I didn’t think it would bother you; there has been some oversight in--”

“Do you think I don’t know the accounts?” the Queen said coldly, her fingernails starting to dig into Snow White’s cheeks. “If you ever do this again, you may lay your little head down and never raise it.”

Snow White’s blood ran cold. She stuttered out, “Of course, your Highness.” She wanted to protest that she was the princess, the daughter of the king, and she deserved almost as much respect as the Queen herself did. But she didn’t, since she was often meek.

“The King’s heir lies in my cradle; you’d do well to watch yourself,” the Queen sniffed, and she let go of Snow White abruptly. Then she stalked out, taking her trusted ladies in waiting with her.

Snow White rubbed her cheeks, sure it couldn’t get worse than this.

It could only go downhill, however.

Shortly afterward, the prince died. They didn’t know why; there was no explanation other than the fact that some infants die quite young without any apparent cause. A grand funeral was held for him, and his baby body was dressed in all white as he was laid to rest.

A commoner’s baby would barely have a funeral; but this prince, the heir of the kingdom, was put to rest in a splendid way.

Snow White had watched somberly, a sorrowful feeling in her soul. She had not gotten to know the prince very well, but she had liked his little feet and his tiny hands; she had found a surprising connection in his brown eyes.

Her father was even more sorrowful. He grew angry, he threw things, and he accused his wife, the Queen, of not procuring a proper wet nurse. He accused her of having a baby with another man, since Snow White had been a strong, healthy baby, and never had a child of his been weak enough to die in infancy.

“There is a defect in you, woman,” he cried out, angrily clenching a goblet in his fist. “How have you bewitched me into marrying you?”

There wasn’t long for him to accuse her.

One cold night, Snow White was awakened by wails and pealing church bells. The king was dead, her father died of heart failure during the night.

It was a fast funeral, and a faster still mourning period. Snow White had wanted to fall on his coffin, beg him to come back to life and not leave her all alone with the Queen; but as soon as the funeral was over, the Queen was already installed on the throne as the sole sovereign.

She wore black, but she also wore jewels. 

Not too long after the funeral, she called Snow White into her presence.

“Your Majesty,” Snow White said, curtseying deeply. There was no good reason to make the Queen mad.

“Snow White. What a pleasure,” the Queen said, tone abrupt. She leaned forward on her throne, and glanced over to her henchmen.

“The pleasure’s all mine,” Snow White said, lower lip trembling. She wanted to be anywhere but here. She wanted the deaths to disappear.

“I’m not going to mince words,” the Queen said, and she added flippantly, “You are no longer a princess, as you have no relation to me. You are to dismiss your servants, turn in your jewels, and join my service as a scullery maid.”

The shock was too great. Snow White quite nearly fainted. “Your Majesty, you can’t be serious!”

“Cut off her hair; it will only get in the way,” the Queen nodded to her henchmen.

Snow White didn’t fight back, though the tears started to fall as the guardsman took a knife to her hair and chopped it short.

“You will be given two dresses, of a suitable material. You are to change into one of them, and get to work immediately,” the Queen intoned, sharp eyes on Snow White as though enjoying every moment of her pain.

“Your Majesty,” Snow White said softly, curtseying again. She wiped her eyes, and as soon as she was handed the dresses, fled from the courtroom.

Now began her time of hardship.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it; I had fun writing it.


End file.
